The invention relates to a lateral thruster for a vessel with a housing, at least one electric motor mounted in the housing, and at least one transverse propeller acting transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vessel.
Lateral thrusters for supporting the maneuvering of a ship with a propeller acting transverse to the longitudinal axis of the ship are also called lateral thrust control systems. For the most prevalent arrangement in the area of the bow, the designation bow thruster is also typical.
In a conventional construction of a bow thruster, in the front tenth of the ship, a tubular passage is constructed through the entire width of the ship. In this tubular passage, a propeller (impeller) is arranged that allows the bow of the ship to move to port or starboard, wherein the rotational direction of the propeller is adapted accordingly. The propeller is driven by an electric or hydraulic motor installed in the ship.
Lateral thrusters without a tubular construction through the ship are known, for example, from EP 0 716 977 A1 and US 2001/0029133 A1, wherein the propeller is arranged in the water external to the ship, but the motor lies in the interior of the boat. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,152,240 and 4,529,386 describe lateral thrusters that are arranged completely in the interior of the boat and can be extended from the bow or inserted back into the bow after opening a flap located in the hull.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,104, DE 3 001 701 A1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,208,978, 4,223,625, lateral thrusters are disclosed that are mounted on the bow and are arranged, when not in use, above the water. By means of different devices, e.g., by manual pivoting about a horizontal axis, the lateral thrusters can be lowered below the water level.
From FR 2 810 012 A1, a lateral thruster is disclosed that is mounted laterally on the side of the vessel so that it is removable outside of the ship and its motor and propeller are located in a housing under water during operation.
In the lateral thruster known from WO 2005/087584 A1, the housing of the lateral thruster is mounted on the hull of the ship in a stationary arrangement external to the ship. The at least one propeller acting transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vessel and the at least one electric motor provided for driving the propeller or propellers are arranged in this housing.
A ship propulsion system is further disclosed from EP 0 566 788 that has a propeller driven by an electric motor and can be mounted outside on the body of the ship.